The Bewitching Hour
by balletismyobsession
Summary: Halloween. The one time of year where people can be anything they want to be. Despite being a closed-minded little town in Ohio, residents of Lima really did go all out for the major holidays. Halloween was one of them.


**Just a little one-shot for Halloween. =] Believe in the fantasy, people. I guess this stemmed from watching Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, and finding out that Darren Criss was on Eastwick (a show about witches for those who don't know) and Wikipedia-ing it because I don't feel like watching the show. **

**The song is from Hocus Pocus.**

* * *

><p>Kurt really didn't see the appeal in the holiday. Sticking kids in overpriced outfits and sending them to strangers' doors to collect store-bought candy was not Kurt's idea of fun. And it didn't get better as he got older. The colorful night complete with sugar highs Kurt had grown up with as a child, dissolved into something much worse now that he was a teenager. Girls donned thigh-high skirts and stockings with four inch heels, guys hid behind doors and scared whoever was on the other side, and the night became much less about childhood imagination and more about getting wasted and making out.<p>

That being said, he'd agreed to go with Brittanie and Santana to the annual Lima Halloween Block Party. They were going as the three musketeers and Kurt suspected he'd only been asked because they couldn't find anyone else to be the third musketeer. But he supposed it was better than sitting in his room in the dark, scaring himself silly watching Paranormal Activity 3. Blaine had said he wasn't going to be able to make it down to Lima for Halloween and Kurt had been disappointed for a while, but he told himself he was just going to have to deal with it.

Finn had left an hour ago when Rachel showed up. She was dressed as little red riding hood and had convinced Finn to be her werewolf. Kurt had come home one weekend and found Finn's room covered in fluff.

"Is there a brown poodle somewhere missing its fur?" Kurt had asked.

"Costume?" Finn shrugged.

"Hands off the synthetic fibers, Finn. I'll take care of it."

Finn grinned, looking relieved. "Thanks so much dude."

And Kurt had to pat himself on the back. Finn's costume looked awesome and he was proud of himself for being able to put together both Finn's costume and his own. _And_ he was the best looking musketeer he'd ever seen.

The doorbell rang.

"Ready, lady hips?" Santana asked. The two girls wore matching definitions of what Kurt considered to be the 'less is more' approach to a costume.

"Yep." He closed the door behind him and locked it, hoping that he wouldn't regret going out tonight.

* * *

><p>The entire street had been blocked off, with huge signs every few feet strung between the buildings reading 'Lima Annual Halloween Block Party' and 'Happy Halloween.' There were DJ's set at each end of the block, the music thrumming through the entire street. It was difficult to hear conversations, only the buzzing of so much chatter. The street was packed with people, mostly teenagers, dancing, talking, laughing, throwing candy at the crowd and downing what Kurt wanted to assume was, but knew very well was not, apple cider. It was dark outside, the stars twinkling above them, with only the orange lights along the buildings and the glow sticks to light their way.<p>

As he expected, Brittanie and Santana ditched him within the first fifteen minutes. Santana would press later that he'd lost them in the crowd and they could have been gang raped or given a drink spiked with who knows what and their bodies not found until the next year dumped in a lake somewhere. Kurt sighed. This was not turning out to be a good night. He wandered around, seeing some people he knew but not well enough to hang out with them. He bought actual apple cider from an elderly woman dressed as a witch in the doorway of her shop. Clutching his hand around his drink, he leaned up against a brick building, watching the way the crowd of dancing people seemed to shift as a wave in movement. Swirls of color blurred past his eyes and he couldn't recognize anyone if he tried. He pushed himself off the wall and took another drink, letting his feet carry him forward as he surveyed the surroundings and debating if he just wanted to go back home.

Then a voice whispered in his ear.

_I put a spell on you_

_And now you're mine._

Kurt jerked back and whipped his head around, almost spilling what was left of his apple cider.

"Blaine!" he half-screamed, half-laughed, his heart kicking up into an adrenaline-rushed overdrive.

The Dalton Warbler smiled, but still continued his song in the same low voice, making his words spooky and haunting.

_You can't stop the things I do_

_I ain't lyin'._

_It's been 300 years _

_Right down to the day,_

_And now the witch is back_

_And there's hell to pay._

_I put a spell on you_

_And now you're mine!_

Kurt smiled, punching his arm lightly. "You scared me! I thought you weren't going to come down. And how the hell did you find me in all this?" He gestured to the mass of people around them.

"I'm sorry," Blaine tilted his head to the side a bit, the smile making his eyes bright. "I didn't mean to scare you. I had a change of plans. And Kurt, it really is hard to miss you. You're wearing all white, with a huge hat—with an awesome feather I might add—and you kind of look sad."

Kurt looked at Blaine, dressed as a wizard. "I was supposed to be part of the three musketeers, but Brittanie and Santana seemed to have disappeared."

A look of pity mixed with happiness crossed Blaine's face. "Well, Kurt Musketeer, want to hang out with me?"

Kurt smiled. "Thought you'd never ask."

* * *

><p>"I come to this thing every year and it's never as fun as I think it's going to be," Kurt mused as he walked with Blaine.<p>

"But you've never had me with you before." Blaine smiled.

"True. So, Blaine Wizard, what shall we do to make this night fun?"

Blaine stared off into the distance, eyebrows pulling down a bit and was silent for a while. Then he turned back to Kurt. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Blaine held out his hand and Kurt took it, not knowing where they were going but trusting Blaine completely.

* * *

><p>The sounds of the block party were dying away quickly as Blaine led Kurt farther and farther off the street. They kept walking for a while until the trees became thicker alongside the road. Without the heat of the lights and the people around them, it was colder now and Kurt shivered as Blaine pulled him along into the trees without hesitation. But Kurt pulled back.<p>

"Where are we going?"

"Not too much further."

"Really Blaine, as much fun as this is, I'd like to not get lost in the woods. Why don't we just go back to my house and we can watch scary movies like any normal people?"

Blaine laughed, though there was a definite edge to his laugh. "'Normal people?' You obviously haven't met me before. Please, Kurt?"

He stared into those eyes that seemed to melt and Kurt found himself nodding. "Fine. But I get one dirt stain on this outfit and I'll cut your heart out with my sword."

"Deal," Blaine agreed and tightened his grip on his hand.

The forest certainly was intimidating at night. Kurt focused on Blaine's hand in his and hoped that Blaine knew where he was going. Neither one of them had flashlights and he doubted their cell phones would do much good in terms of lighting. It was creepy in the dark. He had to remind himself that nothing could hurt him out here, and that the sound snapping branches only came from their shoes as they crunched on the ground. Eventually, they came across a tree that had fallen, creating a perfect bench. True to his agreement, Blaine took off the purple and black cape he was wearing and spread it out on the trunk so Kurt would not get dirt on his outfit.

"So what was the point of bringing me out here?" Kurt asked once they were both seated.

"I have something I want to tell you."

"Oh?" Kurt tried to hide the excitement in his voice. _I love you too, _his mind screamed, preparing the perfectly timed sentence to fall from his lips.

Blaine was quiet, his eyes glancing around nervously. He sighed deeply and then pulled Kurt's hands into his own warm palms. "Kurt, when I first met you, I knew you were special. You never cease to amaze me. You're so accepting of anyone, no matter who they are, and I thought that if I could trust you enough, I might be able to tell someone. The truth is, Kurt, I…" He licked his lips and let out another breath. "I've been lying to you."

Kurt's heart stopped. He pulled his palms out of Blaine's. "What?"

"I'm not who I say I am. I wanted to tell you, I really did, but I just wasn't sure if I could trust you not to say anything or not to hate me. And when I did trust you enough, it was never the right time to tell you. And it's pretty ironic, but I think the right time is now."

"Blaine, what are you talking about? You just told me you've been lying to me! How am I supposed to trust you now?"

Blaine winced. "Guess I didn't think that through." He met Kurt's eyes again and his hands lifted like he wanted to reach out to Kurt, but instead, he folded his hands in his lap. "Just please promise me you'll listen and you'll let me explain," he whispered and there was a pleading edge to his voice.

Kurt's lips thinned. Oh yeah, tonight was turning out wonderfully. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his own sarcasm. "Fine," he breathed, feeling defeated and curious despite the fact that he felt he should be mad right now. And he was cold and he thought that he would be able to go home sooner if he let Blaine talk.

"I want you to know that this doesn't change anything about the way I feel about you and… the way I hope you feel about me. I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I know that you're the only person I feel comfortable with telling."

Kurt just sat there, waiting and becoming increasingly worried. Blaine sounded like he was getting ready to tell a very big secret and no matter if he'd lied, Kurt still cared about him. Blaine looked down at his hands in his lap and slowly lifted his head, breathing out a sigh that caused the air around his lips to turn white.

"Kurt," he said, voice quiet, almost ashamed. "Kurt, I'm a witch."

Kurt's brows knit in confusion. His own voice matched Blaine's in volume. "If you wanted to make fun of me, you could have saved yourself the trouble and done it out there."

He stood to leave, but Blaine's hand was on his arm. "No, please. Kurt, I'm not making fun of you, I swear."

"Then what, Blaine? Dressing up as a wizard, telling me you're a witch? Should I tell you I'm a musketeer now? Or maybe a sailor with a sword?"

"Kurt, please." Blaine's eyes were pleading. "I know the costume is stupid and I honestly didn't plan it that way, but you have to believe me."

The truth in Blaine's words was so believable that Kurt almost found himself going along with the story. "Your acting skills are great, Blaine, really they are but if you don't mind, I'd like to get back home where I can take a nice bath and not freeze." He turned and got about three steps before Blaine's panicked voice sounded behind him.

"Kurt, I know it sounds ridiculous but I thought you were the one person I could trust. I didn't mean to lie to you. Please. This is real. I didn't choose it, but I have to live with it and I never thought I'd meet anyone who I'd even consider sharing it with. But I met you."

Kurt froze. He pursed his lips and sighed. Blaine sounded so sincere, it was hard not to believe him. But this was obviously some joke. He turned and was surprised to see tears on Blaine's cheeks. He rushed up to him, concern in his eyes.

"Blaine, what's going on?"

"I told you," he cried softly.

Kurt shook his head. "Wait, you're serious?"

He saw Blaine nod as more tears filled his eyes. "You have to believe me," he whispered.

Blaine thought he was a witch.

What the hell?

But Blaine obviously believed that what he was saying was true. Kurt wondered if Blaine had been drinking, but he seemed perfectly normal other than what he said. And even then, his speech was clear and not at all slurred or disoriented. He thought the best thing was to just go along with it, seeing as how distraught it was making him and the effort he'd put into making Kurt believe.

"Okay." Kurt played along and took one of Blaine's hands in his. "You're a witch."

Blaine dragged a hand across his eyes and nodded.

"So, what? Can you fly? Brew potions? Turn into a cat?"

"No, Kurt it's not like that. That's all stereotypical. I mean, some of it's true but most of the stories are just that, stories."

"Okay," Kurt said slowly. "Mind telling me the facts about witches?"

Blaine sat back down on the tree trunk and waited until Kurt did too. "Okay, umm… well first, there's no difference between a male witch and a female witch. They're both the same. A warlock was just some term made up by someone down the line when witches became stereotypically female. And a wizard is completely different."

Kurt eyed Blaine's costume.

"It was the only thing I could find on short notice," he shrugged and then continued. "I didn't choose to be a witch, same as we both didn't choose to be gay. It was just how we were born. My parents are both witches. I didn't want you to meet them because, well, they are hard to get used to especially if you're a human." He winced. "I don't mean that being human is a bad thing, Kurt. You have no idea how badly I wish that I could be a human like you. That's why I wanted to go to Dalton. I wanted to live a human life so badly, I thought that if I went to an all human school, I would start to feel like I belonged somewhere. Then I met you and I knew that this is where I want to be."

"What do you mean an all human school?"

"Well, there's other schools for us. Very spread out and numbers are dwindling now with so many of our kind marrying humans. If a witch marries a human, if they have children, they will be completely human with no trace of magic at all. And the witch gives up their powers and life as they knew it forever. That's the cost of marrying someone outside of your own."

Every word Blaine said was sincere and Kurt was having a hard time why he would concoct this over the top joke just for fun. But it couldn't be true.

"And can you do magic?" Kurt ventured to ask.

"I haven't studied since I enrolled at Dalton, but yes."

Once again, Kurt wanted to roll his eyes. Wanted to, but forced himself not to. "Alright."

"You don't believe me."

Kurt almost laughed. "Blaine how can I? Magic isn't real."

Blaine was silent for a moment, then he whispered, "I wouldn't lie to you, Kurt."

"Really? Because you just said-"

"I know what I said, alright!" Blaine shouted in anger, making Kurt jump.

Kurt stood. "I'm trying to play along here Blaine but you don't have to yell at me."

"Kurt, stop. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I've just never told anyone before and you're-"

"The only person you can trust?" Kurt finished mockingly.

"Let me show you." Blaine said suddenly and began looking around him. He took a few steps, knelt and picked up a thin piece of a broken tree branch. "Okay, see this?"

Kurt nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Blaine placed the stick on the ground at his own feet and held his hand out, palm down. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose. Nothing happened. Seconds ticked by and Kurt actually did roll his eyes now that Blaine couldn't see him.

"Blaine, just drop it. I'm done playing around."

He didn't open his eyes. His fingers clenched slightly and then the stick on the ground wasn't on the ground. Kurt's eyes followed the branch as it hovered and began to rise until it was right in front of Blaine's face. Blaine finally did open his eyes but kept his gaze on the stick as it twirled in his line of vision.

Blaine must really be set on proving Kurt to be stupid if he wanted him to think that this was real. There was a fishing line tied from Blaine's finger to the stick, just making it look like he was controlling it.

"Nice try," Kurt commented and snatched the stick out of midair. But nothing pulled back. Kurt ran his hands along the stick. There was no wire anywhere. It must have been the wind then. "Can we go back now?"

"No, Kurt. You don't believe me and I'm not leaving here until you do. If I let you leave now, you'll think I'm a freak."

"Okay, fine. I believe you. Now can we go?"

"Kurt, I'm serious!" He yelled and it sent a shiver of ice down Kurt's spine.

"Geez Blaine. Alright, calm down." Kurt dropped the stick and held up his hands.

"My parents and everyone around me thought that I was a freak for wanting to go to a human school. Well, I've found where I belong and I'm tired of living with this secret. I told them I found someone who was different, someone who would understand. And I wasn't lying to them and I'm not lying to you. If you leave now, I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Blaine," Kurt's words softened, "I don't think you're a freak."

"Yes you do. You don't believe me and I don't know how to make you see that this is real." Blaine's voice broke and he hung his head, looking so utterly hurt and lost that Kurt forgot all of the lying and pulled Blaine into his arms.

Then Blaine suddenly backed away. "Wait, I know."

"Know what?" The words slipped from his mouth before he could think about them.

He didn't answer and instead muttered under his breath. "I only tried this once. And I learned it years ago but I think I remember…" Blaine trailed off and clasped his hands together, again closing his eyes. He took the same deep breaths as before, but now, allowed his hands to pulse together as if he were holding a heart that beat within his grasp. Kurt did not say anything but allowed Blaine to have his moment. He really hoped that this was the result of too much candy. He wouldn't even be mad if Blaine _was_ drunk if it explained his behavior.

But Blaine began to slowly pull his hands apart and Kurt blinked repeatedly, wondering if he was imagining things. There was a light coming from between Blaine's hands. The further apart his hands became, the brighter the light when at last Blaine let his left hand fall away and he was left with only his right hand in the air, a single flame dancing in his palm.

"Holy shit," Kurt breathed, unable to stop the words.

Blaine smiled. "It's pretty cool, huh? Watch this."

Blaine moved his fingers up and down, contracting and releasing, and the flame grew bigger until his entire palm seemed to be engulfed in flames. Then he held his palm flat and the fire shrunk until it was barely a twinkle. He adjusted the flame until it was back to its earlier size. "And…" Blaine lightly blew on the flame and watched as it changed color, starting from the core and staining the flames green.

"Green fire." It was all Kurt could say. It was stupid and he knew it but his mind apparently wasn't filtering out his thoughts before he said them.

Blaine blew again. The green changed to purple, and again to red, then blue, then pink, then back to orange. "Give me your hand."

Kurt did so numbly. Blaine held his hand gently in his own and moved Kurt's fingers closer to the flame. Every instinct was yelling at him to move his hand away from the fire but he found himself watching with fascination as the flames were passed right through his hand and he felt nothing but a gentle warmth. Then Blaine rotated Kurt's wrist so his palm was facing up and put his right hand that held the flame on top of Kurt's. And he slid his hand away. The fire stayed in the center of Kurt's palm. He felt the odd sensation of warmth on his hand, feeling as though it traveled through his very veins.

Blaine leaned over and blew. The flame turned a flickering blue-green.

"It's beautiful," Kurt breathed.

Blaine smiled. "That's the color of your eyes."

Kurt felt himself blush as he met Blaine's gaze. "You're… you're really a witch?"

He knew that Blaine would nod, but he had to ask.

"And I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore," Blaine said quietly, "but I had to tell you. You deserve the truth and so much more than I can give."

Kurt blinked. He grabbed Blaine's hand and cupped it, meeting his hand with Blaine's so they both held the flame.

"Blaine, you are the most amazing person I've ever met. This is going to take a lot of getting used to and you're probably going to have to remind me on a daily basis that it's not a joke, but I really, really like you Blaine and if that's who you are, I'm fine with that. You mean more to me than for me to leave you now."

The smile he hadn't let himself show spread across Blaine's face. It lit up his eyes and his entire face, the relief and utter happiness clear. "You mean it?"

"Of course. Just don't tell me you have a pet werewolf. I don't think I could handle that." Kurt laughed and Blaine did too. "Wait. What you said earlier? At the party? Did you put a spell on me?"

"No. No way. I was just playing around. Believe me, you'd know if I put a spell on you. Not that I'm going to," Blaine quickly backtracked.

"Believe me, if you do, it will be the last thing you ever do." Kurt narrowed his eyes and then let out a sigh. "This has been the most interesting Halloween night I've ever had."

Blaine smiled. "Me too. But also the best."

He looked down at the flame held between them, suitably level with their hearts, and he closed his palms around Kurt's, extinguishing the flame with a soft hiss and a curling cloud of teal smoke. And Blaine's lips were on Kurt's and they both clutched each other's hands, not able to see anything in the darkness, but knowing that no matter how far apart in thoughts or even species, they were together. A dog howled somewhere in the distance and the telltale spark of firecrackers were being set off, presumably in the street. The collective whoops and hollers sounding from the street signified that it was midnight. The start of the bewitching hour.

And Halloween night had only just begun.


End file.
